The Body in Repose Struggles to Shed that which it is Possessed By

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on August 7, 2016 at 8:38pm

Curator’s Comments:

 

The Body in Repose Struggles to Shed that which it is Possessed By  is a perfect title for this drawing, which exhibits a similar complexity and designed fluidity. I enjoy the way the heavier black outlines roll though the configuration; the lighter internal shading gives the closed value composition a silvery feel.  Reading the composition as a sort of reclining totem, the image visually surprises with twisted figures and abstracted deities. I find it noteworthy that the face of the largest horizontal figure is filled in by organic pattern rather than facial features, removing the decidedly personal or individual from the mythic spiritual awareness.  Alternate hands and faces direct the viewer in a circular motion, as the conglomeration is upheld by smaller structures and chess pieces.  Just as the piece warns of material excess, the viewer is drawn in by the elaborate and pleasurable handling of lines and undulating forms.